Bonta Won't Oppose Adding SB 54 Recycling-Law Claims to SB 343 Suit
California's attorney general told a federal court on November 2, 2026, that he will not oppose plaintiffs' request to amend their complaint in California League of Food Producers v. Bonta, a Southern District of California case. The amendment would extend the challenge from SB 343, the "Truth in Recycling" law, to parts of SB 54, the state's extended producer responsibility (EPR) packaging law. Plaintiffs argue the claims rest on First and Fourteenth Amendment grounds. The proposed amended complaint targets SB 54 provisions that redefine "recyclable," impose product and packaging design requirements, and place compliance and financial duties on businesses. It would also add the California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) and the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration (CDTFA) as defendants and add ten causes of action against SB 54, a statute the original and first amended complaints did not challenge. The motion was filed October 8. On October 23, the court vacated a November 4 Early Neutral Evaluation conference and set an attorney-only status conference for December 15, 2026.